Henrik Skaug Sætra
Democracy is facing serious challenges. Some are contemplating whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help revitalise it. AI is, after all, heralded as the solution to a broad range of social and political challenges. Henrik Skaug Sætra argues that AI does indeed offer some hope, but also serious potential pitfalls Read more
Jason Tucker
Nearly all UK election manifestos contain pledges relating to Artificial Intelligence. Yet, writes Jason Tucker, the various parties all focus on different aspects of AI. Two are most concerned with regulation, two with public interest, and one with innovation. Another has published a manifesto that ignores AI entirely Read more
Mahmoud Javadi
The Council of Europe’s treaty on Artificial Intelligence marks a significant achievement in multilateral AI governance. Nonetheless, Mahmoud Javadi suggests that it could foreshadow potential challenges, if not failure, for similar UN efforts Read more
Silvija Vuković
The idea that human politicians may one day be replaced by machines is no longer science fiction. Focusing on the political aspect of artificial intelligence, Silvija Vuković introduces the phenomenon of chatbot politicians, and discusses their connection to populism Read more
Soumi Banerjee
Voice banking is a new technology that safeguards the distinctive vocal signatures of people who have lost the power of speech. Though this might sound like a good-news story, Soumi Banerjee and Dipjyoti Paul show how such advancements might widen existing cleavages between the affluent and economically disadvantaged, prioritising certain voices over others Read more
Jason Tucker
Are recent technological developments in artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionary, calamitous, something in between? Are they inevitable, spontaneous, unpredictable? Jason Tucker examines states who actively shape developments in AI health. The challenge is bringing the public back into decision-making in these developments Read more
Łukasz Wordliczek
In late March, the Future of Life Institute released an open letter calling for the pausing advanced AI experiments. Specifically, it wanted to pause 'the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4'. But isn’t that throwing the baby out with the bathwater? Lukasz Wordliczek argues that a viable solution to all the AI hype is to create a genuinely global regulatory regime Read more
Petr Špecián
Petr Špecián argues that democracy would benefit from experimenting with alternative institutional designs in simulated digital worlds. By providing a ‘playground’ with well-calibrated stakes, such an approach could accelerate innovation and help navigate democracy through the challenges of the 21st century Read more
The Loop
Cutting-edge analysis showcasing the work of the political science discipline at its best.